


Sammy's Star Wars Birthday

by paperwaster



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Sammy's BDay, Star Wars - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-05-28
Packaged: 2017-12-13 06:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/821119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperwaster/pseuds/paperwaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John has missed Sammy's birthday again, so to make up for it he takes the boys to a Star Wars Film fest. They see the original trilogy for the first time </p>
<p>You might not enjoy if you have a strong hate for John. Memories of Mary and lots of foreshadowing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sammy's Star Wars Birthday

Dean had told him at least six times since he had gotten home that he had missed Sammy’s birthday two days ago. John hated himself for that. He always lost time when he was on a hunt, but he hadn’t left extra money so that Dean would have been able to get a cake or a present. Sammy seemed oblivious though, happy watching Scooby Doo on the motel TV.  
Sam had even been excited to see his Dad walk through the door, tackling his leg and wrapping himself around it until John hugged him so hard that Sammy gasped that he couldn’t breathe. Dean had shot daggers at him with his eyes and had stood back with his arms folded. At that moment, John had a flash of Mary giving him the same look when he had stayed out too late with the guys from work. 

He could still feel the glare while he looked at the newspaper. No new hunts leaped to his eager eyes. He had reached the People section when he flipped the edge of the paper down and told Dean,  
“Go watch TV with your brother.” For a moment, John thought that Dean might defy him, but Dean got up from the chair at the cheap wooden table and stopped over to where Sammy was sitting. He picked his little brother up and put him on his lap. Sammy snuggled in and said, “Don’t be scared Dean, none of the monsters are real and they always figure it out anyway.”

John wished that Dean still believed that monsters weren’t real, he hoped that they could keep Sammy from figuring it out for a couple more years. He returned to the paper when an ad for one of the local movie theatre’s caught his eye. It said, “MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU. Special showing, today only. Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  
John looked at his boys, wondering if they were old enough to sit through all three films. They seemed quiet and content enough there in front of the TV and Sammy was definitely older than his years, Dean too for that matter. How old was Sammy now anyway. John looked at the date on the paper, May 4, 1987. Four years without Mary, Sammy was four on the second. Not for the first time when it came to the boys he asked the question, if Mary were standing here, over my shoulder, what would she say?  
He could hear her voice in his ear. “Take them John, they’ll love it. And if they get tired you just bring them home.”  
He didn’t have the heart to tell her that home was gone the moment she and the nursery burned. He looked at the time the movie started and then at his watch. No time for lunch, but that was ok, he was a Dad and Dads could get away with stuff like that. He folded the paper and said, “Hey Sammy.”  
Big brown eyes turned to look at him. Green ones narrowed, just above.  
“How would you like to go to the movies for your birthday?”  
“Yes.”  
The way Sam had hesitated for just a moment and looked at Dean before he had answered, broke John’s heart just a little. He wasn’t good with all the emotional stuff, the hugs, birthdays. Mary had always told him not to worry that was what she was there for and now she wasn’t.  
“What are we going to go see Dad?’ Dean asked.  
“Actually it’s three movies. And the first one was one of your Mom’s favorites.”  
That wasn’t really true John knew, but it was the quickest way to get the boys to go along with something, especially Dean.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in their seats at the Red Barn Theatre and Drive-in with Dean on his right and Sammy on his left. He had gotten Dean the big popcorn and a packet of Red Vines. He had gotten Sammy a small popcorn, otherwise the kid would have starved to death. Dean was generous and always put Sammy first, but no one got between him and food. John put his arm around Sammy as the lights went down and the 20th Century Fox logo blared. He read the scrolling words to Sammy. After the first five minutes, John knew he had nothing to worry about. The boys were transfixed, their popcorn uneaten as the story of Luke Skywalker unfolded.  
They laughed and cheered at all the right parts. When Obi-Wan died on the Death Star, Dean kicked the seat in front of him and John had to grab his popcorn to keep it from spilling all over the floor. Dean was soon distracted though by the Tie Fighter battle. That gave John a moment to look over at his youngest. Sam was still glued to the images on the screen, but he had pulled his feet up into the seat and he was so scrawny that the seat had folded up so that John was afraid he was going to fall through the space between the hinge and the back of the seat. For a moment John considered pulling Sam into his lap, but he knew from experience that would only infuriate Sam. He had to wait for Sam to come to him for a hug or to sit on his lap and usually Sam went to Dean for things like that, so he watched out of the corner of his eye in case the scrawny little scrap started to slip. 

There was a fifteen minute break between Star Wars: A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back so Dean hit the video games in the lobby while John took Sam to the bathroom, just to be on the safe side. When Sam was finished, John held him up to the sink so that he could wash his hands.  
“Daddy?”  
“Yes son?”  
“Who’s your favorite?”  
John held his breath. He wasn’t sure if Sam was talking about him and his brother or the movie.  
“You mean in the movie?”  
Sam looked at him, annoyed. “In the movie.”  
“I don’t know, Chewbacca maybe. How about you?”  
“Obi-Wan, he reminds me of Bobby, except Bobby would never wear a dress.”  
A mental image of Bobby in a dress flashed through John’s mind and he burst out laughing. Now Sam glared at him. “Are you laughing at me?”  
John knew there was no greater sin in Sam’s book than not being taken seriously.  
“No, I was just thinking how silly Bobby would look in a dress.”  
That seemed to cool Sam down. He grinned. “If he was a girl he’d have a big hat with a flower on it.”  
“You want to see the next one?”  
Sam nodded as he wiped his wet hands on his jeans. Dean was waiting for them when they came out of the men’s room.  
“Hey Dad, can I have a hot dog?”  
“You are a bottomless pit. You want one Sammy?”  
Sam shook his head and made a face. “They look gross.”  
John had to agree with him, but they got one for Dean anyway since he had a cast iron stomach and headed back for the second film.  
While the theatre had been just theirs for the first film, there were a few more for this next showing. Fortunately they seemed to enjoy the comments that Dean couldn’t keep to himself, especially about the kissing scenes. As the film grew more intense, John found himself glancing at Sam frequently. Normally he didn’t like to coddle the boys. They needed to be able to stand on their own, but when Luke Skywalker entered the tree to confront whatever was in there, Sam scrambled into his Dad’s lap and John didn’t protest. He could feel a small hand clutching his shirt. Sam leaned his head against John’s chest, but John was proud that he never looked away or made a comment.  
John smiled to himself when he heard Dean laugh as Han Solo replied, “I know,” to Leia’s declaration of love.  
Both boys jumped though when Vader chopped Luke’s hand off. Then the revelation came when Vader told Luke that he was his father. From Sam there was only a sharp intake of breath and he clutched John’s shirt a little tighter. Dean was another story. John was glad the popcorn tub was empty because it went flying as Dean jerked forward in the seat and yelled, “No way.”  
Once again, his oldest had charmed a room full of strangers and chuckles rippled through the audience. As the credits rolled, Dean leaped over John’s feet on his way to the men’s room. Sam was so still in his arms John thought he might have fallen asleep. John rested his chin on Sam’s head as a memory came back to him.

He had seen the ad for Return of the Jedi in the paper when he had been drinking his morning coffee while Dean went on and on about He-Man. Mary gave John a look that said he should be paying attention to Dean and not the newspaper. Message received, John put the paper down. “I thought you liked some show about rocks or something.” “Fraggle Rock is for babies Dad, I’m a big guy now.”  
“ You think if Mrs. Benson came over tonight that you could take care of Sammy?”  
“Course Dad, that’s what big brothers do, right?”  
“That’s right.”  
Dean jumped down off his chair and started running for the stairs.  
“Where you going tiger?”  
“I have to tell Sammy.”  
Mary sighed and gave him an eye roll. “I was hoping he would sleep a little longer. We can’t go on a date.”  
“Come on,” John said, “you haven’t been out since we brought Sammy home from the hospital. He’ll be fine and Dean will only drop him once or twice.”  
Mary walked over from the sink and smacked him with the dish towel. “That’s not funny.”  
“It’s a little funny, come on Mary, Mrs Benson can look after them for an hour or two. We’ll go and come straight back.”  
“I’m a wreck.”  
“A beautiful wreck. Besides no one will see you in a dark theatre.”  
That remark earned him the glare of death which was replaced by a smile as he stood and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ll come home early and you can take a shower.”  
“There is something wrong with me.”  
“What?”  
“I can never say no to you John Winchester.”  
“Lucky for me.”  
“You have no idea.”

John was shaken out his memory by Dean leaping over his feet to get back to his chair.  
“No sleeping Dad, we’ve got one more to go.”  
“You up for one more Sammy?”  
Sam had leaned against his chest and John felt him nod.  
John felt Sammy slowly relax as the movie went on. John hated those cute teddy bear things, but both boys seemed to find them funny. They were in the last few minutes of the movie when John felt Sammy tense again. John had forgotten all about the scene where Luke set Darth Vader’s body on fire. He glanced at Dean who had gone still as well. He hoped that neither one of the boys had overheard some of the other hunters talking about hunter funerals. As the credits started to roll, John decided to shake the boys out of their moods.  
“What do you say we got get something to eat? We can even get dessert. What do you say Sammy?”  
“Ok.”  
They found an all night diner and John loaded the boys up with burgers and fries. Then Sam and Dean split a banana split. John tried to keep the smile off his face as he watched them eat. Sam had eaten the cherry and most of the banana while Dean had eaten the whipped cream and ice cream. 

Sam fell asleep on the way back to the motel. John put Sammy to bed. Dean got ready for bed and then climbed in next to his little brother.  
After he watched the local news, John went to bed himself. About 2 a.m. John felt a little body crawl in beside him. Normally he wouldn’t allow it and he knew he should put Sammy back in the other bed, but he felt a little head on his shoulder and he just couldn’t.  
“Dad?”  
“What’s on your mind Sammy?”  
“Darth Vader had lots of bad stuff inside him.”  
“Yes he did.”  
“Luke did too, but he decided to do good things and cause Vader loved him, he did a good thing at the end too.”  
“That’s right.”  
“Sometimes I feel bad inside too. Mad and bad.”  
“Everybody does sometimes Sammy.”  
“I think I might be Vader bad, but Dad,”  
“Yes Sammy?”  
“I promise I’ll be good like Luke.”  
“I know you will.”  
“Daddy?”  
“Yes?”  
“Princess Leia had really beautiful long hair.”  
“That’s cause she’s a girl Sammy,” Dean said, crawling into John’s bed next to Sam, you don’t want to be a girl do you?”  
“I’m not a girl.”  
“Princess Samantha with her long brown hair.”  
“Enough Dean. Both you boys go to sleep right now or you’re going back to your own bed. “  
“Yes sir,” both boys said.  
“Did you have a good birthday Sammy?”  
Sam yawned. “Best ever, and next year I’ll get to go to school.”  
“Not if you don’t go to sleep Princess.”  
“Shut up Dean.”  
“Good night boys.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed it. I started writing this to post on Sam's birthday, but found this fic to be more emotional than I had originally intended. Also decided to combine the big Return of the Jedi anny. with the birithday story as well.


End file.
